


Beyond Mortal Comprehension [Rewrite]

by Skavvie



Series: Musings and One Shots [6]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Don't drink and spell, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Occult
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 02:54:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14991209
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skavvie/pseuds/Skavvie
Summary: A phone call in the middle of the night brings Pearl face to face with aspects of magic long thought to be made up fairy tales. Can the star student save her foolish ex girlfriend from the consequences of her drunken stupidity?





	Beyond Mortal Comprehension [Rewrite]

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to rewrite this fic because honestly I wasn't happy with how the first version turned out. The ending felt rushed and I knew I could do a better job fleshing everything out.

The piercing wail of a cellphone's ringer cuts across the darkened silence like something distasteful. A series of muttered curses emit from the bundle of sheets on the small bed nearby followed by a fumbling hand. “Amethyst it’s four in the morning, I swear if you called just to say you found another naked woman in your textbook I’m blocking you. This may be rather hard for you to understand but not everyone has the maturity of a prepubescent boy.” Pearl squinted past the brightness of her phone screen to look around her dorm. Everything was as woefully small and cramped as it had been the previous day when she moved in. Two twin beds, one of which she was currently occupying, with a cheap pressboard dresser between them took up a majority of the space. Said dresser contained all of the student’s clothes, neatly folded of course, while the top served as a convenient perch for her digital clock. It was the very same clock whose bright red LED display merrily reminded her that she had only gotten to sleep about two hours previous. A cursory glance at the bed across from hers showed that her roommate still hadn’t arrived. Briefly she wondered if she should be concerned with the girl’s absence but she dismissed that thought. Classes didn’t officially start for another three days; she supposed some people might not want to move in until the last minute.

“No P it’s nothing like that”, Amethyst’s voice crackled through the phone’s speaker accompanied by a large amount of static. Wherever the girl was didn't appear to have a strong cellular signal given the quality of the audio. “Well I mean yeah I did find some more nudey pictures in chapter twelve but that isn’t why I called this time.” Not even the inconsistent service or the poor quality of Pearl's speaker could hide the heavy slur in her voice. _Lovely_ , Pearl's inner monologue stated in a sarcastic drawl, _so she's been out drinking with her idiot friends again_ , that explained why she was calling so late. “Listen; me, Sugilite, and Mal were out messing around by Dead Man’s Mouth and we fucked up Pearl, we fucked up bad. I know it’s like stupid late and shit but please you gotta grab your wand and get out here.” Voices were speaking in the background too muffled to fully understand although Pearl was sure she heard someone say “it’s moving”. “Shit”, Amethyst swore loud enough for her fellow student to hear in spite of the distance between her mouth and the phone. “Please dude you’re like the smartest person I know you gotta hurry and get out here.”

Anger, Pearl found, was doing an excellent job of chasing away the fog sleep had draped over her mind, “Are you serious right now? Not even a text for almost a week then you call me up at four in the morning and expect me to drive an hour to come get you? Swear to god if this is another one of your childish pranks”, her rant was cut off by a desperate sounding scream. Pale fingers tightly clasped the bridge of her nose in a gesture of frustration that went back as far as she could remember. “Assuming I believe you I’m going to need more information than you’ve given me before I even consider doing this. You have to tell me exactly what you three were doing and what went so horribly wrong that it justifies me saving you.” As she spoke she rolled over so she was sitting fully upright with her feet touching the floor at the side of the bed. Cheap carpet scraped against the soles of her bare feet causing them to itch uncomfortably. Prank or not Amethyst genuinely sounded terrified and was asking Pearl to bring a wand rather than something simple like a charm.

“Okay I’ll tell you but you gotta promise not to get mad or call me stupid until after we get this thing dealt with okay?” Well that was never a good sign; Pearl was already opening her top drawer so she could put on pants. For Amethyst to recognize the gravity of a situation without being scolded usually meant serious consequences were incoming. Pearl strained her ears attempting to pick up and sirens in the background. “So a few days ago Peridot and I were going through her mom’s house trying to find where the giraffe-necked bitch hid Peri’s birth certificate. We found it in a locked chest under the bed along with a bunch of really old books. I get the bright idea of pocketing one of the books to teach her mom a lesson about stealing people’s stuff. P-Dot didn’t think it was a good idea, something about knowledge beyond mortal comprehension or whatevs; you know boring shit. Anyways I totally forgot about it until tonight when I was out here looking for my lighter and it fell out of my bag. Malachite was convinced she could read the thing and found an awesome incantation that was supposed to summon a fuck ton of money.”

“Oh my stars Amethyst please tell me you didn’t try to cast something that you couldn’t even read. I know you get off on rebellion but come on”, pants secure Pearl pulled the phone away from her ear long enough to put on a shirt. The first week of October was proving to be unseasonably warm requiring little more than a t-shirt to keep the wind off. Her storage cupboard sized dorm room had been blisteringly hot when she had finally gone to bed. Just to be safe she made sure to grab her university hoodie in case the rain picked back up. “Didn’t you learn anything from the time poor Steven accidentally turned himself into a cat monster? You're always putting us in danger with your little outbursts ugh, you are just so childish!” A loud bang on the wall near her bed served as a reminder that she wasn’t the only one who wanted to sleep. True to the stereotype the dorm walls were quite thin and far from soundproof. She made a mental note to research silencing spells once the campus library opened for the year. There was no sense is making herself a pariah just because her idiot friends had no idea how to maintain a Circadian Rhythm.

“Yeah, yeah and don't forget reckless, vulgar, loud mouth and that's just what makes me so awesome!” Pearl couldn’t stop a weary sigh from filtering through her nose; this wasn’t the first time they had this argument. A variation of those same words had been used their sophomore year of high school when they broke off their three year relationship. The breakup felt like it had happened a lifetime ago when in reality it had been two years; things were almost back to normal. “Save the lecture P please, now is not the right time to remind me how shitty I am at everything. You can boot up your thirty fucking slide PowerPoint after your scrawny ass helps me send this thing back where it came from. Hell I’ll even make the popcorn for the grand viewing ceremony and get the whole freshman class together to watch. Peridot has an in with the drama geeks, we could probably convince them to turn it into a fucking screen play.” For all of her boorishness Amethyst couldn’t hide the fear creeping into her voice. Nor was she able to repress the pleading in her tone when she spoke again. “Hurry I can’t hold this circle forever and I have no idea what’ll happen if it gets out. Fuck”, there was a crunch and the line abruptly went dead leaving Pearl blinking in the sudden brightness caused by her screen reactivating. Her wallpaper was a selfie of the two of them together at the beach; Pearl was smiling, Amethyst had her tongue out.

“Amethyst”, Pearl scrambled to call her friend back but the phone went straight to voicemail without ringing. A second, more insistent, bang shook her wall again but she was too preoccupied to notice. There was no way this was a prank; Amethyst loved her phone too much to risk something happening to it. Mind racing the blue eyed girl tied her hiking boots with a level of precision that only came with muscle memory. On autopilot she grabbed her car keys from the top of her dresser and rushed into the smoke scented halls. The hour’s drive to Dead Man’s Mouth was a blur of tangled thoughts and overwhelming worry. In the back of her mind Pearl knew she was speeding on winding roads that were hardly safe at the best of times. The road was a fairly popular spot for illegal street racing resulting in a handful of crashes every few months. Guard rails did a good job of preventing anything too terrible from happening but there were still a few handmade crosses on the shoulder. 

Above her a moonless sky gave the night an eerie quality which only compounded her growing anxiety. New moons were known to play havoc with the ley lines transforming the already mercurial energy into something almost unpredictable. Even the more experienced summoners avoided tapping into the lines on nights when the sky was bare. Considering the two of them were just getting ready to start their second year of university they were far from experienced. Part of Pearl was honestly surprised that Amethyst and her friends were able to tap a line on the first place. Conjuring was a notoriously fickle subject that required a combination of grit and precision. Grit, Amethst had in spades taking into account her tendency to push herself to the brink of exhaustion. However, her precision could best be described as using a sledgehammer to pound in a thumbtack. Sugilite, her giant of a cousin, and Malachite were no better in that regard even when they were sober. 

By the time Pearl reached the top of the large hill that housed the colorfully named swimming hole her hands hurt from gripping the steering wheel so hard. Amethyst’s car wasn’t hard to find; the obnoxious purple Jeep stood out like a sore thumb next to the brush it was parked in. A decal on the back featuring two gleaming yellow eyes read “If you can read this I’m out chasing tail”. Pearl carefully maneuvered her much smaller Chevy over the rocky terrain so she was parked more or less beside the eyesore. Goosebumps made the fine hairs on her thinly muscled arms stand on end; the air practically crackled with energy. Even without the warning phone call she would have been able to tell something powerful was done here. Ley line energy had a unique taste about it, like something fizzy and metallic on the back of the tongue. Some of the most powerful casters in the world used the lines to accomplish feats far beyond anything simple charms could do. It was a potent force that could grind mountains to dust and turn thriving cities into black craters. Use came at a cost; channeling the lines required running what amounted to pure will through a person’s body. Side effects ranged from manageable things like a headache to literal insanity caused by the body not being able to handle what was happening to it.

Another, more subtle, but potentially just as dangerous side effect of ley line magic was its addictive quality. Stay hooked into a line too long and the body becomes dependent on the extra energy intake. Tapping a line triggered a massive surge of neurotransmitters including dopamine and oxytocin. Releasing the unspent energy created a second wave of the same substances to reinforce the behavior. The high is said to hit harder than even the strongest bump of brimstone currently available on the underground market. Like any other drug though the braid develops a tolerance to the sensations. Many a caster has found themselves tempted to spindle more and more energy each time hoping to reach the same euphoria as their first time. Prolonged exposure to the energy could fry a caster’s connections to the metaphysical world leaving them a drained husk of their former selves. 

Should they continue attempting to draw the lines their very mind shatters twisting them into an Eldritch being beyond the imagination of even Lovecraft. Such Corruptions, as they were called, were said to roam the Void where the lines originated from. Stories existed of unsuspecting casters being snatched out of thin air by these monsters; not that Pearl believed them of course. Anything solid attempting to enter a line would have its cells ruptured from the inside out. Though all cultures had a name for this void it was most commonly referred to as Niflheim; the land of fog and mist. Ancient peoples believed that all life originated from within the mist and all life would return there when the world was reborn. A fringe group of scholars at Cornel University were attempting to prove that bursts of ley energy were a catalyst for evolution. Then again there was also a group trying to prove that sentient rock lifeforms came from outer space to harvest Earth's resources.

Flashlight in hand Pearl carefully picked her way through the gnarled brush that twisted around the gravel trail. Silently she offered a thank you to her grandmother who would always remind her to pack as if she could end up stranded. Said advice was why she never left the house without: a flashlight, extra batteries, a crank radio, and at least two vials of salt. Once again she attempted to call her friend back but just like before her call went directly to voicemail. The utter silence around her set her teeth on edge; normally these woods were teeming with life no matter the hour. Her footsteps crunching on the hard packed earth sounded unnaturally loud compared to the stillness. Buried in the pocket of her hoodie her left hand gripped the small bottle of salt that she always had in case of emergencies. Few things disrupted magical energy as thoroughly as good old fashioned sodium chloride. Minute increases in the electric like current flowing across her skin led her to her companion as efficiently as a GPS. By the time she turned the corner to find the clearing Amethyst had told her about it was like thousands of fire ants were crawling along every inch of exposed skin. Discomfort rapidly segued into awe when she realized what exactly she was looking at and she rushed to her friend’s side.

Illuminated by wavering candlelight Amethyst stood at the center of the clearing arms held out almost pleadingly towards a summoning circle. Sweat rolled down the girl’s coco colored skin in thick droplets soaking into the neckline of her lavender tank top. It reflected the flame's light like dew spread over grass in the early morning. Her pleasantly oval face was scrunched, her jaw set in a tight grimace. Dust and bits of dead grass clung to the knees of her black jeans, remnants from setting the circle Pearl assumed. Empty beer cans lay strewn across the grass more or less centered on where Amethyst was standing. An open book sat next to the girl’s foot along with a clay bowl, a pocket knife, some salt, and a half dumped beer bottle. Chocolate brown eyes remained fixed on the circle in front of her while she spoke, “Sup P. did you find the place okay?” Her normally rich voice was growing hoarse from the amount of strain she was under. Up close Pearl could see that her shoulders were shaking and her normally unmovable legs looked like they were going to buckle. “Malachite and Sugie ran off as soon as the thing started movin, fuckin cowards, so it’s just gonna be the two of us.” A tired bark of laughter broke through her gritted teeth, “Hopefully you can figure out what happened before I pass out.”

Movement on the edge of her peripheral vision drew Pearl’s eyes away from her friend and on to the circle of ley line energy in front of them. Though it was invisible by nature line energy always took on a bit of the essence of the person channeling it at the time. More than once police officers were able to track down suspects by the pattern of their energy. Based on the thick swirls of blue and green hovering in the air it was logical to assume Malachite helped set it. Errant blotches of purple slowly overtaking the green swirls acted as visible proof of Amethyst's contribution. No one really knew what factors determined the colors a caster was associated with. Pearl, for example, always seemed to draw pink energy even though she had no particular fondness for the hue. The circle itself was roughly five foot in diameter with runes scattered somewhat haphazardly along the four cardinal directions. Pacing the edge of the energy barrier was a figure with ruddy skin dusted with bits of gold that reflected the candles. A figure, Pearl's detail oriented mind helpfully supplied, that cast no shadow and made no prints in the soft ground. 

Humanoid in body shape the figure stopped its slow walk to study the newcomer with orange eyes whose pupils were thin vertical slits. If Pearl squinted she could almost convince herself that she was looking at an emaciated person and not some creature from another world. Her psyche, in an attempt to save itself from confronting the unknown, once again tried to assert that this was another stupid prank. Two pointed cat like ears twitched on the top of its head and it gave a slow smile revealing upper and lower fangs. Both the top of the figure's head and it's ears were covered in something that looked like golden yellow fur. Smaller patches of fur graced the back of its hands, and its legs from its knees down to its feet. Its face was somewhat angular featuring pronounced cheekbones and a pointed chin. Wide nostrils flared scenting the air; its gaze locked onto Pearl its smile growing wider. Each ear was pierced with three dark colored rings, it had a septum piercing, and each nipple was pierced. It wore no clothes leaving a pair of small breasts exposed, in spite of that its pelvic area was completely smooth suggesting it had no actual gender. Considering its bowlegged posture Pearl was willing to bet it didn't favor standing upright. Curved black claws ran lazily along the circles surface testing the barrier with every slight movement. Each press of claws sent a short ripple of blackness through the ley line energy and made Amethyst shiver. 

“Stars”, Pearl breathed taking a half step closer; the figure matched her movement until it was almost pressed into the edge of the circle. Never a religious person Pearl couldn’t stop the thought that she was looking at a real life demon from entering her mind. As much as she scoffed at the idea she couldn’t quite bring herself to banish it completely. Nothing else could explain the dread feeling of wrongness that the creature radiated. Careful not to break the etchings that made up the circle’s edge she sank to the ground and pulled the book Amethyst mentioned into her lap. Whatever was in the circle mimicked her movements giving her a clear view of the claws that covered its toes. Its feet were more like elongated paws set at an odd angle from the joints of its ankles. A cursory glance at the open page gave the blue eyed student immediate insight into what went wrong. “Right away I see that you confused the rune of Fehu, wealth, with Berkano, companionship; no idea how you messed that up. Also it says you’re supposed to mix the wax with goat’s blood and sage not cheap beer and Doritos. Since I wasn’t here during the actual summoning I have no idea if you got the incantation right but given the circumstances I doubt it. Honestly the three of you are lucky you aren’t missing body parts from all of this, what were you even thinking?”

“First of all you’re totally wrong; Aqua Mexica is malt liquor, not cheap beer, and those are Cheesy Chaps not Doritos", there was no hiding the irritation in Amethyst's tone. "Fascinating as all that is Pierogi it doesn’t exactly help right now unless you’re hoping your nerd talk will bore this thing into leaving.” Amethyst’s voice was thicker than it had been a moment ago like she was talking with food in her mouth. Pearl looked up and put her hand over her mouth to stifle a gasp; blood was flowing from Amethyst’s nose. Her cheeks were taking on a grayish green tint similar to someone getting over the flu. Small dark spots were speckled under her eyes and across the bridge of her button nose, likely blood rising to the surface from broken capillaries. Amethyst's plush lips were parted and she was panting raggedly as she tried to get enough oxygen. Perspiration soaked her long hair causing it to stick to the side of her neck uncomfortably. The hurt that flashed across Pearl’s thin face made her pause, “Shit Pearl I’m sorry I shouldn’t have snapped. You deserve better than that, you’ve always been here for me and all I do is rag on you for it. All of tonight’s bullshit happened because I wanted to impress you; I was going to call you up with a fat stack of cash that I pulled out of nowhere. Heh it was a pretty stupid plan now that I’m sober enough to think about it”, she smiled weakly. “So what do you reckon we do about this?”

“I have a few suggestions”, a purring contralto voice spoke from the other side of the metaphysical barrier Amethyst was struggling to maintain. Both students jumped and looked away from each other to the now rising figure. Its nostrils flared in response to their fear and it gave a low chuckle; the sound made the hair on the back of Pearl’s neck stand on end. A deep primal fear surged through her long legs as every survival instinct she had ordered her to run. Judging by the small whimper that came from the back of Amethyst's throat she seemed to be experiencing something similar. “Do forgive me for interjecting into your conversation but I find myself growing quite vexed the longer I remain caged.” Inhuman eyes met Amethyst’s own; although she’d never admit it the eighteen year old was sure she was going to die. Claws slid through its thick hair in an attempt to smooth it, “perhaps you should let me out so we can speak properly? After all it was you who decided to interrupt my evening plans by dragging me here; most uncouth if you ask me. Considering the situation I have been shockingly patient even after one of your companions attempted to strike me with a rock. Others in my position would have eviscerated you hours ago and used your entrails to recreate Van Gough's Starry Night on the walls of our citadel. Starry Starry Night looks positively stunning in red hues, more so than in blue if you ask me. Ah I can see from your faces that you don’t like that suggestion; is there a particular artist you prefer? I once watched an associate of mine do a brilliant re imagining of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel fresco "The Spark of Life" using the family of an arrogant monk. Sadly I’m sure the irony was lost in the ensuing chaos”, it shook its head ruefully for a few seconds."You mortals really do need to take more time to appreciate the finer details before fainting in terror."

Pushing that mental image firmly aside, Pearl stood so she was eye level with the creature, “Threatening us isn’t going to get you freed. “ Mentally she gave herself a pat on the back for managing to sound almost normal. Logic dictated that if this thing was capable of freeing itself it would have done so at the earliest opportunity. Doing a few quick calculations she figured it had been standing around for at least an hour and a half before deciding to speak. The fact that it was still there meant that for all its bluster it was still unable to cross Amethyst's circle putting the odds squarely in their favor. Either that or it was going to break through any second now and use their blood to practice its painting skills. Fighting down the panic blooming in her gut she continued, “Hypothetically if we were to free you what would happen? Obviously if you don’t give us a way to guarantee our safety there’s no way we’re listening to you. You and I both know it’s impossible to lie when you’re surrounded by blessed salt so don’t even think about it.” Silently she sent a prayer to whatever deity was listening that Amethyst was using the blessed salt she had gotten her for solstice. Granted, salt on the ground certainly didn’t look like it had been blessed but that could just be because it was mixed with ground up potato chips.

“You are rather astute for something that descended from a bunch of knuckle dragging primitives now aren’t you? Shame you weren’t the one to call me here; I could have a lot of fun coaxing an arrangement out of a mind as quick as yours." It paused for a moment pursing its thin lips and tapping its chin with a long black claw. "Such a promise would involve the use of and exchange of names, names can hold quite a bit of power you know. Hmm", It paused once again tapping its chin and looking thoughtful, "may I suggest a counter proposal?” The two young adults glanced at each other for a second before Pearl offered a shaky nod. “No need to be so dramatic”, the demon thing chuckled, “instead of providing you my true name I will offer you an alternative title. Should you accept my terms this title will act as a legally binding name for all intents and purposes." Pearl's affirmative nod made the thing clap its clawed hands with delight, "very well. You may refer to me as Venandi and yes I give you my word that if you release me I will not harm either of you during our negotiations. I still feel I am entitled to some form of compensation given the fact that I was dragged here without so much as a whisper of warning. Decide quickly I fear our little wizard may not be able to hold on much longer, the poor dear can barely stand up.” Bruising was spreading across Amethyst’s bloodied cheeks blooming into a spectacular pair of black eyes. Assuming she survived the night the girl was going to look like she got on the wrong side of a wrestling match.

"Call me Amethyst", going against every survival instinct she possessed Amethyst reached out with her right foot and scraped away a piece of the circle. Pearl could verbally fence better than anyone the young adult knew if given enough time; unfortunately time wasn’t on their side. Bull headed as she was Amethyst knew she just didn’t have the strength to hold the circle anymore. Plush lips parted, desperately trying to get enough oxygen to compensate for body's exertion. Better to break it on her terms instead of passing out and leaving Pearl to face this thing alone. At least this way she had some sort of promise that this thing wouldn't immediately rip them to shreds for the fuck of it. The rest of the energy cleared with a sound akin to gun fire leaving Amethyst to stagger forwards. Black smoke choked the air filling it with the smell of charred grass and stale chips. It felt like tar when she breathed it in and she started choking and gagging. Strong arms caught her, warm and comforting except for the slight pressure of claws against the exposed flesh of her shoulders. Unable to hold back anymore she heaved emptying the contents of a night’s worth of bad choices all over the ground. As good as greasy fry bits were going down they felt like badly mixed cement when they made their way back up. The strength of the abdominal spasms forced errant liquid out of her nose adding to her misery. Hot tears streamed from her bruised eyes adding to the mess on her ashen face. 

Venandi had a strange scent, like a mixture between a campfire and something acidic, unnerving but not entirely unpleasant. Still it was better than the sludge that had forced its way up from her stomach. Groaning weakly she sagged against the body in front of her using it to remain upright while her own form adjusted to life without the line. Clawed fingers ran through her hair pulling it away from her face with a surprising amount of tenderness. “Careful little wizard we wouldn’t want something happening to you before I get my payment now would we?" A slight prickling sensation crawled across Pearl's arms for a second as Venandi drew from the ley line. "Hold still a moment", its elongated fingers were clutching a silken handkerchief which it used to wipe the remaining mess from Amethyst's face. Again the gesture was surprisingly affectionate especially coming from a being that had cheerfully asked them which painting they wanted it to recreate with their innards. "Kudos for holding on as long as you did; after your friends left I was sure you’d be mine within the hour. Though I must admit when I imagined you spilling your guts vomit was the furthest thing from my mind.” Laughing at its own joke the demonic being lowered its summoner so she was sitting safely on the dying grass. Its gilded irises then turned to snare Pearl's attention, "and what should I call you little lawyer? I much prefer being on a first name basis with people before making them beg for their lives."

Pearl took a step forward, hand clutching the vial of salt in her pocket, and spoke irately. The familiar smooth edges were extremely comforting in the midst of her world being shaken up. Admittedly she had no idea what, if anything, it would do to something like Venandi. "It's Pearl and kindly cut the theatrics, you gave us your word you wouldn't harm us." Vanandi gave another throaty chuckle but raised its hands in a gesture of mock surrender. Pearl stole, what she hoped was, a discrete glance at Amethyst; now that she was cut off from the circle the student appeared to be stabilizing. Her nose looked like it had finally stopped bleeding and the bruises on her face weren't getting any larger. Color was slowly returned to her chapped lips, her abdominal muscle spasms were slowing, and overall she appeared to be improving. Somewhat reassured she turned her attention back to the problem at hand; an eldritch being out for blood. Putting on her best negotiating voice she began, "I understand that you are upset about being called here. Tell me what we can do, short of violence, to make things right between the three of us." 

"Upset", the sheer incredulity of Venadi's voice was enough to rival even dean Diamond at her worst, "you think I'm upset? Have you any idea how much it hurts being forcibly dragged to this plane of existence? Not to mention the fact that I actually have things to get done; important tasks which were dropped because a group of idiotic primitives decided they NEEDED to call me up." Brightness on the edge of the eastern horizon caused the demonic being to let out an enraged hiss baring its upper and lower fangs, “Damn out of time. Looks like we shall have to pick this up again another evening as much as I was enjoying myself watching a group of drunkards attempt to recite Latin." Clawed fingers dragged through Amethyst's hair again pulling a few strands loose. "Alas parting is such sweet sorrow my little wizard next time we meet I assure you things will be much more entertaining. Perhaps you and your sharp tongued lawyer shall find out the true power of the beyond”, and with those final words Venandi vanished in a puff of pungent smoke.

The only evidence anything had went down were the charred remains of the circle and Amethyst’s vomit. Too tired to talk the still shaking student started gathering up her summoning equipment as well as her filched book. She considered just leaving the fucking thing to rot but the idea was quickly dismissed since it didn’t belong to her. It was a sobering thing for her to accept that the only reason she was still alive was some arbitrary rule about demons and daylight. All her life it felt like she had been skirting by on luck with a heavy pinch of raw talent. Up until that evening she was fine with that because it was easy to sit back and see how things played out. Suddenly a lot of the stuff Pearl had been nagging about for years made sense; her luck couldn’t last forever she needed to take more responsibility. Complacency wouldn’t do her any good when Venandi came to collect whatever payment it felt was owed. Relying on Pearl to save her all the time wasn’t fair to her friend and it wasn’t fair to her own abilities. Gritting her teeth she made a silent vow to do better, no more taking the easy way out. Of their own volition her eyes found Pearl's trembling back; being a good friend was another thing she needed to be better at. Without Pearl coming to her rescue in the middle of the night she would have been fucked sixteen ways before Sunday. 

While Amethyst gathered her school things Pearl set to work cleaning up the mess left over from the impromptu party. Littering was never acceptable even if she was exhausted enough to almost look the other way. All her plans for the day’s productivity, which had seemed so reasonable the previous evening, now sounded like torture. Having looked death in the face organizing her textbooks by subject and class order suddenly seemed much less important. She was so preoccupied with tidying up that she hadn’t noticed Amethyst was behind her until the other girl pulled her into a tight hug. “Ugh after all this drama I feel like I could sleep for a week; any chance I could crash with you for a bit? After all of that I’m kind of scared of being by myself”, admitting fear wasn’t like Amethyst. The scrappy wrestler's usual mode of operation was to hide any sign of weakness behind a wall of false ego. It was a bad habit that had contributed more than its fair share to their explosive break up. Pearl nodded her consent and the two of them set off for their parked cars. “Fuck it I’ll come back for The Puma later I don’t think I have the energy to drive an hour without fallin asleep.” 

True to her assessment Amethyst dozed off not even ten minutes into the drive; her cheek squished into Pearl’s bony shoulder. Pearl honestly envied her friend's ability to fall asleep practically anywhere. Her own mind was a tumultuous maelstrom of half formed anxieties and what if scenarios. Replaying the night's encounter over and over again there was no way to deny that they had been lucky to escape. Sunrise's cheerful hues highlighted every bruise and broken blood vessel on Amethyst's face. Dried blood was thickly crusted around her plush lips and wide nostrils. Both black eyes were slightly swollen, not to the point where the eye wouldn't open but enough to be annoying. The visual reminders of how much damage raw line energy could do was sobering to the sometimes overconfident student. She was certain Venandi's furious expression would be in her nightmares for a good long while. 

Cuddling together in Pearl’s tiny bed felt so familiar, so right, that the purple loving wrestler wondered why she had stupidly given this up. The way their bodies fit together so comfortably was unreal; she hated the over used puzzle piece metaphor and refused to think it even if it was apt. Pearl's skin, forever cool to the touch no matter the ambient temperature, felt soothing against her many aches. “Hey P”, she spoke softly halfway hoping the other girl was too drowsy to hear, “do you think we can go to the library together later? Maybe I can find a book or something about the stuff that lives in the lines that way I can not get made into art. Should probably give Malachite and Sugilite a call later in case that thing tries goin after them too.” The evening's disastrous encounter with forces beyond her comprehension was sure to leave a lasting impact on her historic bravado. Dumb luck wouldn't save her twice in a row when whatever forces she called up came to collect their dues. 

“I’d like that Amethyst”, Pearl responded through a yawn, “the library part not the you being murdered I mean.” A bright blush streaked across her cheeks and she was extremely grateful that she was facing the wall so it was hidden. Amethyst’s only response was to pull her closer with the thick arm that was around her waist. Neither one of them appeared willing to break the comfortable hush that had settled over the two of them. Silence felt truly amazing after the chaos they had dealt with an hour or so prior. Pearl didn't even mind that neither of them had showered and Amethyst smelled like cheap drink laced with vomit. Moments of harmony between them were rare given their vastly different personalities. They were both prideful and stubborn, unwilling to bend because they felt the other couldn’t possibly be right. Perhaps though, with effort and communication, there was still a chance to come together into something greater than themselves.

**Author's Note:**

> Artwork provided by the AMAZING treker402. Check her out here https://tmblr.co/mhEDH8ui0_LROQmFOw_Mg1A


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